Systems and methods for providing navigation assistance to a delivery robot

ABSTRACT

This disclosure is generally directed to systems and methods for using an autonomous vehicle to provide navigation assistance to a delivery robot. In one exemplary implementation, the delivery robot is transported by the autonomous vehicle to a delivery destination such as a residence or a workplace. The delivery robot disembarks at the delivery destination for delivering a package to a recipient at the residence or workplace. A computer system in the autonomous vehicle communicates with a navigation assistance system of the autonomous vehicle to obtain information pertaining to a terrain between the autonomous vehicle and a package drop-off spot at the residence or workplace, and uses the information to generate a route map of the terrain. The autonomous vehicle may transmit the route map and/or navigation instructions derived from the route map, to the delivery robot to assist the delivery robot navigate around obstacles and reach the package drop-off spot.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

This disclosure generally relates to robotic vehicles, and moreparticularly relates to systems and methods that use an autonomousvehicle to provide navigation assistance to a delivery robot.

BACKGROUND

Autonomous vehicles, which are often referred to by various other namessuch as robotic vehicles and unmanned vehicles, have of late become thefocus of numerous developmental efforts. The developmental efforts havebeen directed to using autonomous vehicles for not only transportinghuman passengers but also for delivering various types of articles invarious types of environments. An autonomous vehicle that is used fortransporting human passengers typically incorporates navigation andsensing equipment that enables the autonomous vehicles to safelynegotiate obstacles that may be encountered on a road (other vehicles,pedestrians, objects, etc.). The primary purpose of using the navigationand sensing equipment in the autonomous vehicle is to ensure passengersafety. Consequently, certain criteria such as sophistication,capabilities, and reliability, take precedence over certain othercriteria such as cost and simplicity. On the other hand, an autonomousvehicle that is used for delivering an item such as a package, a pizza,or a grocery bag may have to traverse an area that does not necessarilyinclude roads and/or pedestrians. The primary purpose of usingnavigation and sensing equipment in such an autonomous vehicle, whichmay be referred to as a delivery robot, is to ensure that the deliveryrobot avoids colliding with objects when traveling across a lawn, forexample. The criteria used for selecting and using the navigation andsensing equipment in the delivery robot may therefore be different thanthat used for the navigation and sensing equipment used in an autonomousvehicle used for transporting human passengers. For example, thenavigation and sensing equipment installed on the delivery robot may beless sophisticated and less expensive. However, it is desirable that anytrade-off being made with respect to sophistication and cost forexample, be made without sacrificing or compromising various functionalfeatures of the delivery robot. It is also desirable to identifyalternative solutions that may augment certain capabilities of thedelivery robot.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A detailed description is set forth below with reference to theaccompanying drawings. The use of the same reference numerals mayindicate similar or identical items. Various embodiments may utilizeelements and/or components other than those illustrated in the drawings,and some elements and/or components may not be present in variousembodiments. Elements and/or components in the figures are notnecessarily drawn to scale. Throughout this disclosure, depending on thecontext, singular and plural terminology may be used interchangeably.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary system wherein an autonomous vehicle providesnavigation assistance to a delivery robot in accordance with anembodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 shows some exemplary components of a first computer system thatmay be provided in the autonomous vehicle and a second computer systemthat may be provided in the delivery robot.

FIG. 3 shows some exemplary operations associated with an autonomousvehicle providing navigation assistance to a delivery robot inaccordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 shows an exemplary route map generated by a computer system ofthe autonomous vehicle to provide navigation assistance to a deliveryrobot in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary image of a residence and a digitalrepresentation of a front view of the residence together with otherobjects, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 shows some exemplary interactions between an autonomous vehicleand a delivery robot in a first exemplary mode of operation inaccordance with the disclosure.

FIG. 7 shows some exemplary interactions between an autonomous vehicleand a delivery robot in a second exemplary mode of operation inaccordance with the disclosure.

FIG. 8 shows some exemplary interactions between an autonomous vehicleand a delivery robot in a third exemplary mode of operation inaccordance with the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The disclosure will be described more fully hereinafter with referenceto the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of thedisclosure are shown. This disclosure may, however, be embodied in manydifferent forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplaryembodiments set forth herein. It will be apparent to persons skilled inthe relevant art that various changes in form and detail can be made tovarious embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of thepresent disclosure. Thus, the breadth and scope of the presentdisclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplaryembodiments but should be defined only in accordance with the followingclaims and their equivalents. The description below has been presentedfor the purposes of illustration and is not intended to be exhaustive orto be limited to the precise form disclosed. It should be understoodthat alternate implementations may be used in any combination desired toform additional hybrid implementations of the present disclosure. Forexample, any of the functionality described with respect to a particulardevice or component may be performed by another device or component.Furthermore, while specific device characteristics have been described,embodiments of the disclosure may relate to numerous other devicecharacteristics. Further, although embodiments have been described inlanguage specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, itis to be understood that the disclosure is not necessarily limited tothe specific features or acts described. Rather, the specific featuresand acts are disclosed as illustrative forms of implementing theembodiments.

Certain words and phrases are used herein solely for convenience andsuch words and terms should be interpreted as referring to variousobjects and actions that are generally understood in various forms andequivalencies by persons of ordinary skill in the art. For example, thephrase “autonomous vehicle” as used herein may be referred toalternatively in general parlance and/or in this disclosure as a“self-driven vehicle” or a “robotic vehicle.” As another example, wordssuch as “data” and “information” may be used interchangeably in thisdisclosure and should be understood as being equivalent to each other inthe context of the description. Furthermore, it should be understoodthat the word “example” as used herein is intended to benon-exclusionary and non-limiting in nature. More particularly, the word“exemplary” as used herein indicates one among several examples, and itshould be understood that no undue emphasis or preference is beingdirected to the particular example being described.

In terms of a general overview, certain embodiments described in thisdisclosure are directed to systems and methods related to using anautonomous vehicle to provide navigation assistance to a delivery robot.In one exemplary implementation, the delivery robot may be transportedby the autonomous vehicle to a delivery destination such as a residenceor a workplace. The delivery robot disembarks at the deliverydestination for delivering a package to a recipient at the residence orworkplace. The delivery robot may disembark for example, on to asidewalk beside a road on which the autonomous vehicle has been stopped.A computer system provided in the autonomous vehicle then communicateswith a navigation assistance system of the autonomous vehicle to obtaininformation pertaining to a terrain (a lawn or a garden, for example)between the autonomous vehicle and a package drop-off spot at theresidence or workplace. The information may be used by the computersystem to generate a route map of the terrain. The route map may includean identification of various objects that may be obstacles in the pathof the delivery robot as the delivery robot moves towards the packagedrop-off spot. The autonomous vehicle may transmit the route map and/ornavigation instructions derived from the route map, to the deliveryrobot to assist the delivery robot navigate around the obstacles andreach the package drop-off spot. In an alternative implementation, thedelivery robot may be transported by a first vehicle (an autonomoustruck suitable for transporting multiple delivery robots, for example)to the residence or workplace, and a second vehicle (an autonomous caror small van, for example) may assist the delivery robot to deliver thepackage, and may also assist other delivery robots, if used.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary system 100 that includes an autonomous vehicle105 configured to provide navigation assistance to a delivery robot 115in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. A few examples ofthe types of vehicles represented by the autonomous vehicle 105 in FIG.1 include various types of self-driven vehicles (vans, trucks etc.)operated by entities such as Fedex®, UPS®, grocery stores, andrestaurants, for delivering articles to recipients such as a personliving in a residence or a person working in a workplace or businessfacility.

The autonomous vehicle 105 may include various components such as anavigation assistance system 106 and a computer system 107. Thenavigation assistance system 106 may include one or more of variouscomponents such as transponders, imaging device (video cameras, digitalcameras, infrared cameras, etc.), motion detectors, distance sensors,proximity sensors, and audio sensors that may be communicatively coupledto the computer system 107 for guiding the autonomous vehicle 105 safelythrough traffic. The traffic may include various types of vehicles aswell as pedestrians. The navigation assistance system 106 may also beused in cooperation with the computer system 107 to provide navigationassistance to the delivery robot 115 in accordance with the disclosure.

The computer system 107, which is illustrated in more detail in FIG. 2,may include several components such as a processor 108 and a memory 109.The memory 109, which is one example of a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium, may be used to store an operating system (OS)114 and various other code modules such as a navigation system module111, a communications module 112, and a delivery robot assistance module113. The various code modules may be configured to cooperate withvarious types of hardware provided in the autonomous vehicle 105 forcarrying out various operations.

For example, the navigation system module 111 may include software thatcooperates with various types of hardware components in the autonomousvehicle 105. A few examples of such hardware may include the navigationassistance system 106 and various components (not shown) of theautonomous vehicle 105 such as a steering mechanism, an ignition switch,an accelerator, a braking mechanism, a door lock mechanism, and a GlobalPositioning System (GPS) system.

The communications module 112 may be configured to permit the autonomousvehicle 105 to communicate with various entities such as anotherautonomous vehicle and/or the delivery robot 115. The communications maybe carried out in various ways, such as via a network (not shown) orwirelessly, and by using various types of communication formats. Thecommunication formats may include machine-to-machine communicationformats (wireless, Bluetooth®, Wi-Fi etc.) and human-to-machinecommunication formats (voice-controlled applications, for example).

The delivery robot assistance module 113 may include software thatcooperates with various types of hardware components in the autonomousvehicle 105 to provide navigation assistance to the delivery robot 115.The navigation assistance may be provided to the delivery robot 115 inthe form of various types of signals (such as data signals, commandsignals, query signals, and status signals) that are communicated to thedelivery robot 115 by using for example, the communications module 112and a transponder that may be part of the navigation assistance system106.

The delivery robot 115 may be any type of robotic vehicle configured fortransporting an article such as for example, a pizza delivery box, anitem of mail, a package, or a grocery item. In one exemplaryimplementation, the autonomous vehicle 105 is configured to transportthe delivery robot 115 to one or more delivery locations such as forexample, a residence 120. The autonomous vehicle 105 may travel over aroad 110 to reach an address of the residence 120. Upon reaching theaddress, the computer system 107 may control disembarking of thedelivery robot 115 from the autonomous vehicle 105. The disembarking maybe carried out for example, by the computer system 107 deploying a rampand guiding the delivery robot 115 down the ramp and on to a sidewalk155 adjacent to the road 110.

The delivery robot assistance module 113 may include a navigationassistance system 116 that may be used by the delivery robot 115 toavoid running into obstacles when moving from the sidewalk 155 andtowards the residence 120. The navigation assistance system 116 mayinclude hardware and/or software that is different than the hardwareand/or software employed in the navigation assistance system 106 of theautonomous vehicle 105. For example, the hardware and/or softwareemployed in the navigation assistance system 116 may be lesssophisticated and less expensive. The delivery robot 115 is typicallynot transporting a human passenger. Consequently, the criteria used toavoid damage to the delivery robot 115 and/or to an object beingtransported by the delivery robot 115, is different than the criteriaused to ensure passenger safety in the autonomous vehicle 105. A fewexamples of the types of hardware used in the navigation assistancesystem 116 of the delivery robot 115 may include various components suchas transponders, video cameras, and proximity sensors that may be lesssophisticated and less expensive than similar components used in thenavigation assistance system 106 of the autonomous vehicle 105.

The computer system 117, which is illustrated in more detail in FIG. 2,may include several components such as a processor 121 and a memory 122.The memory 122, which is another example of a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium, may be used to store an operating system (OS)127 and various other code modules such as a navigation system module123, a communications module 124, and a delivery robot assistance module126. The various code modules may be configured to cooperate withvarious types of hardware provided in the delivery robot 115 forcarrying out various operations.

For example, the navigation system module 123 may include software thatcooperates with various types of hardware components in the deliveryrobot 115. A few examples of such hardware may include the navigationassistance system 116 and various components (not shown) of the deliveryrobot such as a steering mechanism, an engine controller, and a brakingmechanism. A transponder of the navigation assistance system 116 may beused by the computer system 117 to receive navigation assistance fromthe autonomous vehicle 105 as described in this disclosure. Thenavigation assistance provided by the autonomous vehicle 105 by usingthe sophisticated capabilities of the navigation assistance system 106will typically exceed a level of performance obtainable by using thenavigation assistance system 116 of the delivery robot 115. For example,the navigation assistance system 116 of the delivery robot 115 may lackequipment that provides a macroscopic view of a terrain between thedelivery robot 115 and the residence 120 and/or may lack information onhow to pre-emptively circumvent one or more obstacles that may bepresent in the terrain between the delivery robot 115 and the residence120.

In the exemplary illustration shown in FIG. 1, the terrain may include asidewalk 155, a pathway 150 and various objects such as a mailbox 125, apot 135 containing a shrub, a first tree 140, a second tree 145, a bush160, and a fountain 130. A conventional delivery robot may typicallystart moving from the sidewalk 155 and towards the residence 120 withouthaving any information about any potential obstacles in its path. Forexample, the conventional delivery robot may first move forward andeither sense the bush 160 (using an object sensor) or collide with thebush 160 if no object sensor has been provided. The conventionaldelivery robot may then go around the bush 160 before sensing (orcolliding with) the fountain 130. The conventional delivery robot maythen turn back from the fountain 130 and towards the bush 160 to try anddiscover an alternative route. Thus, the movement of the conventionaldelivery robot would involve a trial-and-error approach to reach theresidence 120, thereby expending precious delivery time and riskingdamage to the delivery robot and/or package transported by the deliveryrobot.

In contrast, in an exemplary embodiment in accordance with thedisclosure, the delivery robot 115 obtains a route map that is generatedby the autonomous vehicle 105 and uses this route map to travel from thesidewalk 155 to the residence 120. The autonomous vehicle 105 uses thenavigation assistance system 106 to scan the terrain between theautonomous vehicle 105 and the residence 120 and obtain informationabout the terrain. The sophisticated equipment of the navigationassistance system 106 may be used to detect various objects that mayconstitute obstacles and/or may be impassable or risky to traverse(steep slopes, water bodies, icy patches, hedges, etc.) by the deliveryrobot 115 when traveling towards a package drop-off spot such as anentryway to the residence 120 or a package placement location such as astoop 119 near the entryway.

In one exemplary implementation, the navigation assistance system 106may use a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) device, a radar device, ora sonar device, to obtain information about the terrain. Such a LIDARdevice, radar device, or sonar device may be too expensive to provide inthe delivery robot 115. The information gathered by the navigationassistance system 106 may be used by the computer system 107 toidentify, and map out, an optimal travel route for the delivery robot115 to follow (for example, via the pathway 150, after avoiding the pot135 containing the shrub). The travel route and/or information about theterrain/obstacles may be included in a route map, which is transmittedto the delivery robot 115. The transmission of the route map and/orother navigation data may be carried out by using, for example, atransmitter (or transponder) in the navigation assistance system 106 anda receiver (or transponder) in the navigation assistance system 116 ofthe delivery robot 115. The communications may be carried out usingvarious communication formats, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®, and 5Gwireless for example.

The use of the route map by the delivery robot 115 offers variousbenefits such as package delivery efficiency and optimization ofdelivery time (which is typically an important criterion for deliveryservices). Furthermore, less expensive components may be used in thenavigation assistance system 116 of the delivery robot 115 than thoseused in the navigation assistance system 106 of the autonomous vehicle105.

The cost benefit is even more pronounced when more than one deliveryrobot is deployed from the autonomous vehicle 105. In one exemplaryscenario, the autonomous vehicle 105 may be parked at the entrance of asubdivision and a number of delivery robots may be concurrently deployedfor making deliveries to multiple residences in the subdivision. Each ofthe delivery robots is provided with a respective route map that isgenerated by taking into consideration the respective residences towhich the delivery robots have to travel. In some implementations, adelivery robot may utilize its own navigation assistance systems in lieuof, or in addition to, using the route map or navigation assistanceprovided by the autonomous vehicle 105.

FIG. 2 shows some exemplary components of the computer system 107 thatmay be provided in the autonomous vehicle 105 and the computer system117 that may be provided in the delivery robot 115. Some of thefunctions performed by these exemplary components have been describedabove.

FIG. 3 shows some exemplary operations associated with the autonomousvehicle 105 providing navigation assistance to the delivery robot 115 toenable the delivery robot 115 to travel to a destination, which is theresidence 120 in this example. The exemplary sequence of operations canbe executed by the autonomous vehicle 105 and the delivery robot 115using hardware, software, or a combination thereof. In the context ofsoftware, the operations can include computer-executable instructionsstored on one or more non-transitory computer-readable media such as thememory 109 and the memory 122, that, when executed by one or moreprocessors such as the processor 108 and the processor 121, perform therecited operations. Generally, computer-executable instructions includeroutines, programs, objects, components, data structures, and the likethat perform particular functions or implement particular abstract datatypes. The order in which the operations are described is not intendedto be construed as a limitation, and any number of the describedoperations may be carried out in a different order, omitted, combined inany order, and/or carried out in parallel.

At block 305, the navigation assistance system 106 of the autonomousvehicle 105 is activated for scanning the terrain between the autonomousvehicle 105 and the residence 120 and obtaining information about theterrain. The scanning may be carried out by using devices such as acamera, a LIDAR device, a radar device, and/or a sonar device that maybe a part of the navigation assistance system 106. At block 310,information obtained by scanning the terrain may be used to generate adigital representation of the terrain. The digital representation may beprovided in various forms such as one or more images or a map. Anexemplary digital representation in the form of a map 400 that isgenerated by using a LIDAR device of the navigation assistance system106 is shown in FIG. 4. The map 400, which may be generated by includinga simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) procedure, providesinformation such as certain areas of the terrain that may be free-space,objects that may constitute obstacles, and areas/objects having unknowncharacteristics. However, the map 400 may fail to provide some types ofinformation such as a current location of the delivery robot 115 and alocation/description of an entryway of the residence 120.

At block 315, semantic labeling may be carried out upon the map 400 (oron the digital representation) that is generated at block 310. Thesemantic labeling may be carried out in order to include some or all ofthe information that may be missing in the map 400 (or the digitalrepresentation). In one exemplary implementation, data obtained from acamera of the navigation assistance system 106 of the autonomous vehicle105 is passed through a labeling algorithm that classifies each pixel ofthe map 400 or digital representation as a type of object. Theinformation derived by using the labeling algorithm may then be combinedwith the map 400 in the form of labels that provide an indication as towhich areas of the terrain are traversable or not traversable and otheritems such as a view of the entryway. FIG. 5 shows an exemplary image ofa residence (such as the residence 120), and a digital representation ofa front view of the residence together with objects present in theterrain between the autonomous vehicle 105 and the residence. Some orall of these objects may constitute obstacles to the delivery robot 115.

At block 320, the route map 400 (or digital representation) having thesemantic labeling may be used by the computer system 107 in theautonomous vehicle 105 to identify a path for the delivery robot 115 totravel to the entryway of the residence 120. In one exemplaryimplementation, the entryway may be represented by map coordinates inthe digital representation and a current location of the delivery robot115 (on the sidewalk 155, for example) may be also represented by mapcoordinates. The path may be generated by the computer system 107 byusing a path-planning algorithm and may take into consideration variousfactors such as optimal distances, optimal sped of travel of thedelivery robot 115, and identification and avoidance of one or moreobstacles between the current location of the delivery robot 115 and theentryway of the residence 120. The generated path may then be includedin the route map that is provided to the delivery robot 115 to travel tothe entryway of the residence 120 as indicated by block 335.

At block 325, the delivery robot 115 may use its navigation assistancesystem 116 to sense some areas near the delivery robot 115. For example,the delivery robot 115 may use an object sensor of the navigationassistance system 116 to detect an object close to the delivery robot115, such as the autonomous vehicle 105. The navigation assistancesystem 116 may lack the capability to detect objects that may be presentbeyond a limited field of operation of the object sensor and may alsolack the ability to plot a travel path from the current location of thedelivery robot 115 to the residence 120.

At block 330, the delivery robot 115 may obtain information from theautonomous vehicle 105 such as a digital representation of the terrainbetween the autonomous vehicle 105 and the residence 120. Theinformation obtained by the delivery robot 115, such as a relativeposition of the delivery robot 115 with reference to the autonomousvehicle 105, may then be used to identify a current location of thedelivery robot 115 in the digital representation provided by theautonomous vehicle 105. The current location of the delivery robot 115may be provided in the form of map coordinates, which may then betransformed into global map coordinates in the digital representationprovided by the autonomous vehicle 105. The global map coordinates maybe used by the computer system 107 in the autonomous vehicle 105together with the semantic labeling information provided on the map 400(as indicated by block 315) to create a route map that may be used bythe delivery robot 115 to travel to the residence 120 (as indicated byblock 335). The route map and/or other information such as the globalmap coordinates of a location of the delivery robot 115 may also be usedby the autonomous vehicle 105 to configure the navigation assistancesystem 106 (such as a LIDAR device) to track the delivery robot 115 asthe delivery robot 115 starts moving from its current location andtowards the residence 120.

FIG. 6 shows some exemplary interactions between the autonomous vehicle105 and the delivery robot 115 in accordance with a first exemplary modeof operation in accordance with the disclosure. The first exemplary modeof operation offers a high level of autonomy to the delivery robot 115.In this mode of operation, the autonomous vehicle 105 may transmit tothe delivery robot 115, a route map or a digital representation of theterrain between the autonomous vehicle 105 and the destination. Thedigital representation and/or the route map may be generated by thecomputer system 107 using data received from the navigation assistancesystem 106. The delivery robot 115 may then use the digitalrepresentation and/or the route map to travel to the destination withoutfurther assistance from the autonomous vehicle 105.

The navigation assistance system 116 of the delivery robot 115 may beused to help the delivery robot 115 navigate to the destination. Thefirst exemplary mode of operation allows the autonomous vehicle 105 togenerate a certain type of data that is obtainable by using thesophisticated equipment of the navigation assistance system 106 in theautonomous vehicle 105 but may not be obtainable by using the navigationassistance system 106 in the delivery robot 115. The navigationassistance system 106 in the autonomous vehicle 105 may have certainadvantages such as an extended field of view due to the navigationassistance system 106 being placed upon the roof of the autonomousvehicle 105 high above the ground. In contrast, the navigationassistance system 116 of the delivery robot 115 is located lower withrespect to ground and may be unsuitable to derive some types ofinformation of the terrain between the delivery robot 115 and thedestination. However, the navigation assistance system 116 of thedelivery robot 115 may offer some unique capabilities of its own, suchas a capability to detect certain objects that may be blocked from viewof the navigation assistance system 106 of the autonomous vehicle 105for example.

Block 605 pertains to a map or a digital representation (such as theexemplary digital representation generated in block 310 shown in FIG. 3)that is transmitted by the autonomous vehicle 105 to the delivery robot115. The map or digital representation contains information about theterrain between the autonomous vehicle 105 and the destination for thedelivery robot 115.

Block 610, block 615, and block 625 pertain to the delivery robot 115using the information contained in the map or digital representation tolocalize and identify a current location of the delivery robot 115 inthe map or digital representation (such as indicated in block 330 ofFIG. 3).

At block 630, the autonomous vehicle 105 may provide destinationinformation to the delivery robot 115 (such as an entryway of theresidence 120). At block 635, the delivery robot 115 uses thedestination information and the current location of the delivery robot115 to identify a path for the delivery robot 115 to travel from itscurrent location to the entryway of the residence 120. The deliveryrobot 115 may also use the navigation assistance system 116 foridentifying the path to be traveled.

At block 640, the delivery robot 115 traverses the path towards theresidence 120. In one exemplary implementation, the autonomous vehicle105 may track the movements of the delivery robot 115 to ensure that thedelivery robot 115 is moving along the path. At block 645, the deliveryrobot 115 may transmit status signals (such as movement progress,package delivery confirmation, etc.) to the autonomous vehicle 105 andmay receive signals from the autonomous vehicle 105 (such asacknowledgement signals, control signals, etc.). At block 650, thedelivery robot 115 may perform various actions such as executing commandsignals received from the autonomous vehicle 105 and delivering thepackage at the residence 120.

FIG. 7 shows some exemplary interactions between the autonomous vehicle105 and the delivery robot 115 in accordance with a second exemplarymode of operation. The second exemplary mode of operation offers amoderate level of autonomy to the delivery robot 115. In this mode ofoperation, the autonomous vehicle 105 may transmit to the delivery robot115, raw data and/or partially processed data obtained by using thenavigation assistance system 106. The data may be transmitted to thedelivery robot 115 in various ways such as on an intermittent basis, acontinuous basis, or an as-needed basis. The delivery robot 115 may thencombine the data received from the autonomous vehicle 105 with data(such as sensor data) obtained by using its own navigation assistancesystem 116.

The combined data may then be used by the delivery robot 115 to travelto the destination (the residence 120, for example). The secondexemplary mode of operation allows the autonomous vehicle 105 togenerate a certain type of data that is obtainable by using thesophisticated equipment of the navigation assistance system 106 in theautonomous vehicle 105 and allow the delivery robot 115 to complement,or supplement, this data with data obtained by using the navigationassistance system 116 in the delivery robot 115.

At block 705, the autonomous vehicle 105 provides to the delivery robot115, data obtained by using the navigation assistance system 106 of theautonomous vehicle 105. This data may be combined with data obtained byusing the navigation assistance system 116 of the delivery robot 115(block 710). The combined data may be used by the delivery robot 115 toidentify a path for the delivery robot 115 to travel to the entryway ofthe residence 120 (as indicated by block 750). Operations indicated inblock 715, block 720, block 725, and block 735 are substantially similarto those described above with respect to block 610, block 605, block615, and block 625 respectively of FIG. 6. However, operations indicatedby block 735 may include interactive communications between theautonomous vehicle 105 and the delivery robot 115. This aspect isindicated by block 730 which pertains to the autonomous vehicle 105performing a portion of the localization operation to determine acurrent location of the delivery robot 115 with respect to theautonomous vehicle 105 and providing this information to the deliveryrobot 115.

Block 740 pertains to identifying a destination for the delivery robot115 (such as an entryway of the residence 120) and block 745 pertains toincluding the destination in planning a path for the delivery robot 115to travel to the destination. The information generated by performingthe operation indicated in block 745 may be provided to the deliveryrobot 115, which may then combine this information with otherinformation such as the localization information generated at block 735.The combination operation is indicated by block 750.

At block 755, the delivery robot 115 uses the information generated atblock 750 to move towards the residence 120. In one exemplaryimplementation, the autonomous vehicle 105 may track the movements ofthe delivery robot 115 to ensure that the delivery robot 115 is movingalong the path. Block 760 and block 765 are substantially similar tothose described above with respect to block 645 and block 650respectively of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 shows some exemplary interactions between the autonomous vehicle105 and the delivery robot 115 in accordance with a third exemplary modeof operation in accordance with the disclosure. The third exemplary modeof operation offers a low level of autonomy to the delivery robot 115.In this mode of operation, the autonomous vehicle 105 may transmit tothe delivery robot 115, navigation instructions that are generated bythe computer system 107 of the autonomous vehicle 105 by processing dataobtained by using the navigation assistance system 106. The deliveryrobot 115 obeys the navigation instructions provided by the autonomousvehicle 105 without taking any significant actions on an independentbasis. The navigation assistance system 116 provided in the deliveryrobot 115 may be rudimentary thereby providing cost benefits in thismaster-slave arrangement where the delivery robot 115 operates as aslave to the autonomous vehicle 105 which operates as a master.

At block 805, the autonomous vehicle 105 provides to the delivery robot115, data obtained by using the navigation assistance system 106 of theautonomous vehicle 105. In some embodiments, this data may be combinedwith data obtained by using the navigation assistance system 116 of thedelivery robot 115 (block 810). The data obtained by using thenavigation assistance system 116 may be of a rudimentary nature such asmay be needed to assist the delivery robot 115 navigate around anobstacle that is identified in the data provided by the autonomousvehicle 105.

At block 815, the computer system 107 of the autonomous vehicle 105generates a map or a digital representation of the terrain between theautonomous vehicle 105 and the residence 120. At block 820, the computersystem 107 of the autonomous vehicle 105 performs a localizationoperation to determine a current location of the delivery robot 115 withrespect to the autonomous vehicle 105. The localization operation may becarried out upon the map or digital representation generated at block815. At block 825, the computer system 107 of the autonomous vehicle 105identifies a destination for the delivery robot 115 (such as an entrywayof the residence 120).

Block 830 pertains to including the destination to the map or digitalrepresentation and the localization information for planning a travelpath for the delivery robot 115 to travel to the destination. Block 835pertains to the autonomous vehicle 105 generating control signals forexecuting the travel path and transmitting the control signals to thedelivery robot 115. The control signals may be transmitted to thedelivery robot 115 in various ways such as on an intermittent basis, acontinuous basis, or an as-needed basis. Block 840 and block 845 aresubstantially similar to those described above with respect to block 645and block 650 respectively of FIG. 6.

EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

In some instances, the following examples may be implemented together orseparately by the systems and methods described herein.

Example 1 may include a method comprising: transporting a delivery robotin an autonomous vehicle, the autonomous vehicle including a computersystem and a navigation assistance system; disembarking the deliveryrobot from the autonomous vehicle; generating, by the computer system,for the delivery robot, in cooperation with the navigation assistancesystem of the autonomous vehicle, a route map of a terrain between theautonomous vehicle and a package drop-off spot; and transmitting fromthe autonomous vehicle to the delivery robot, at least one of the routemap or a set of navigation instructions that are based on the route map,to assist the delivery robot travel to the package drop-off spot.

Example 2 may include the method of example 1, wherein disembarking thedelivery robot from the autonomous vehicle comprises disembarking thedelivery robot on to a road or a sidewalk, and wherein the packagedrop-off spot is one of an entryway to a building or a package placementlocation.

Example 3 may include the method of example 2 and/or some other exampleherein, wherein the building is one of a residence or a businessfacility.

Example 4 may include the method of example 1 and/or some other exampleherein, wherein the route map includes an identification of one or moreobstacles to be circumvented by the delivery robot to reach the packagedrop-off spot.

Example 5 may include the method of example 1 and/or some other exampleherein, wherein the navigation assistance system of the autonomousvehicle is configured to generate the route map by using at least one ofa sensor or an imaging device of the navigation assistance system.

Example 6 may include the method of example 1 and/or some other exampleherein, wherein the route map comprises a digital representation of theterrain, the digital representation comprising one or more areas to becircumvented by the delivery robot to reach the package drop-off spot.

Example 7 may include the method of example 1 and/or some other exampleherein, wherein the route map comprises a digital representation of theterrain, the digital representation comprising a path to be traveled bythe delivery robot from a current location of the delivery robot to thepackage drop-off spot.

Example 8 may include a method comprising: determining, by a navigationassistance system of an autonomous vehicle, a current location of adelivery robot; generating, by a computer system of the autonomousvehicle, in cooperation with the navigation assistance system of theautonomous vehicle, a route map of a terrain between the currentlocation of the delivery robot and a package drop-off spot for thedelivery robot; and transmitting from the autonomous vehicle to thedelivery robot, at least one of the route map or a set of navigationinstructions that are based on the route map, to assist the deliveryrobot travel from the current location to the package drop-off spot.

Example 9 may include the method of example 8, further comprising:transporting the delivery robot in the autonomous vehicle; anddisembarking the delivery robot from the autonomous vehicle at thecurrent location.

Example 10 may include the method of example 8 and/or some other exampleherein, wherein the computer system of the autonomous vehicle isconfigured to generate the route map by using at least one of a sensoror an imaging device of the navigation assistance system.

Example 11 may include the method of example 8 and/or some other exampleherein, wherein the route map comprises a digital representation of theterrain, the digital representation comprising one or more areas to becircumvented by the delivery robot when traveling from the currentlocation to the package drop-off spot.

Example 12 may include the method of example 11 and/or some otherexample herein, wherein the one or more areas to be circumvented by thedelivery robot include obstacles.

Example 13 may include the method of example 8 and/or some other exampleherein, wherein the route map is one of a 2D rendering or a 3D renderingof the terrain between the current location of the delivery robot andthe package drop-off spot for the delivery robot.

Example 14 may include a system comprising: a delivery robot; and anautonomous vehicle comprising: a navigation assistance system; and acomputer system comprising: at least one memory that storescomputer-executable instructions; and at least one processor configuredto access the at least one memory and execute the computer-executableinstructions to at least: cooperate with the navigation assistancesystem to generate a route map of a terrain between the autonomousvehicle and a package drop-off spot at a delivery destination; andtransmit to the delivery robot, at least one of the route map or a setof navigation instructions that are based on the route map, to assistthe delivery robot travel to the package drop-off spot.

Example 15 may include the system of example 14, wherein the autonomousvehicle is configured to transport the delivery robot to the deliverydestination, and wherein the package drop-off spot at the deliverydestination is one of an entryway to a building or a package placementlocation.

Example 16 may include the system of example 14 and/or some otherexample herein, wherein the route map comprises a digital representationof the terrain, the digital representation comprising one or more areasto be circumvented by the delivery robot when traveling from a currentlocation of the delivery robot at the delivery destination to thepackage drop-off spot.

Example 17 may include the system of example 16 and/or some otherexample herein, wherein the one or more areas to be circumvented by thedelivery robot include obstacles.

Example 18 may include the system of example 14 and/or some otherexample herein, wherein the route map is one of a 2D rendering or a 3Drendering of the terrain between a current location of the deliveryrobot at the delivery destination and the package drop-off spot.

Example 19 may include the system of example 14 and/or some otherexample herein, wherein the navigation assistance system comprises atleast one of a sensor or an imaging device.

Example 20 may include the system of example 19 and/or some otherexample herein, wherein the sensor is a Light Detection and Ranging(LIDAR) device.

In the above disclosure, reference has been made to the accompanyingdrawings, which form a part hereof, which illustrate specificimplementations in which the present disclosure may be practiced. It isunderstood that other implementations may be utilized, and structuralchanges may be made without departing from the scope of the presentdisclosure. References in the specification to “one embodiment,” “anembodiment,” “an example embodiment,” etc., indicate that the embodimentdescribed may include a particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include theparticular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrasesare not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when aparticular feature, structure, or characteristic is described inconnection with an embodiment, one skilled in the art will recognizesuch feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with otherembodiments whether or not explicitly described.

Implementations of the systems, apparatuses, devices, and methodsdisclosed herein may comprise or utilize one or more devices thatinclude hardware, such as, for example, one or more processors andsystem memory, as discussed herein. An implementation of the devices,systems, and methods disclosed herein may communicate over a computernetwork. A “network” is defined as one or more data links that enablethe transport of electronic data between computer systems and/or modulesand/or other electronic devices. When information is transferred orprovided over a network or another communications connection (eitherhardwired, wireless, or any combination of hardwired or wireless) to acomputer, the computer properly views the connection as a transmissionmedium. Transmission media can include a network and/or data links,which can be used to carry desired program code means in the form ofcomputer-executable instructions or data structures and which can beaccessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. Combinationsof the above should also be included within the scope of non-transitorycomputer-readable media.

Computer-executable instructions comprise, for example, instructions anddata which, when executed at a processor, cause the processor to performa certain function or group of functions. The computer-executableinstructions may be, for example, binaries, intermediate formatinstructions such as assembly language, or even source code. Althoughthe subject matter has been described in language specific to structuralfeatures and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that thesubject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limitedto the described features or acts described above. Rather, the describedfeatures and acts are disclosed as example forms of implementing theclaims.

A memory device such as the memory 109 and the memory 122, can includeany one memory element or a combination of volatile memory elements(e.g., random access memory (RAM, such as DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM, etc.)) andnon-volatile memory elements (e.g., ROM, hard drive, tape, CDROM, etc.).Moreover, the memory device may incorporate electronic, magnetic,optical, and/or other types of storage media. In the context of thisdocument, a “non-transitory computer-readable medium” can be, forexample but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical,electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, ordevice. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of thecomputer-readable medium would include the following: a portablecomputer diskette (magnetic), a random-access memory (RAM) (electronic),a read-only memory (ROM) (electronic), an erasable programmableread-only memory (EPROM, EEPROM, or Flash memory) (electronic), and aportable compact disc read-only memory (CD ROM) (optical). Note that thecomputer-readable medium could even be paper or another suitable mediumupon which the program is printed, since the program can beelectronically captured, for instance, via optical scanning of the paperor other medium, then compiled, interpreted or otherwise processed in asuitable manner if necessary, and then stored in a computer memory.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present disclosure maybe practiced in network computing environments with many types ofcomputer system configurations, including in-dash vehicle computers,personal computers, desktop computers, laptop computers, messageprocessors, handheld devices, multi-processor systems,microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, network PCs,minicomputers, mainframe computers, mobile telephones, PDAs, tablets,pagers, routers, switches, various storage devices, and the like. Thedisclosure may also be practiced in distributed system environmentswhere local and remote computer systems, which are linked (either byhardwired data links, wireless data links, or by any combination ofhardwired and wireless data links) through a network, both performtasks. In a distributed system environment, program modules may belocated in both the local and remote memory storage devices.

Further, where appropriate, the functions described herein can beperformed in one or more of hardware, software, firmware, digitalcomponents, or analog components. For example, one or more applicationspecific integrated circuits (ASICs) can be programmed to carry out oneor more of the systems and procedures described herein. Certain termsare used throughout the description, and claims refer to particularsystem components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, componentsmay be referred to by different names. This document does not intend todistinguish between components that differ in name, but not function.

It should be noted that the sensor embodiments discussed above maycomprise computer hardware, software, firmware, or any combinationthereof to perform at least a portion of their functions. For example, asensor may include computer code configured to be executed in one ormore processors and may include hardware logic/electrical circuitrycontrolled by the computer code. These example devices are providedherein for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting.Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in furthertypes of devices, as would be known to persons skilled in the relevantart(s).

At least some embodiments of the present disclosure have been directedto computer program products comprising such logic (e.g., in the form ofsoftware) stored on any computer-usable medium. Such software, whenexecuted in one or more data processing devices, causes a device tooperate as described herein.

While various embodiments of the present disclosure have been describedabove, it should be understood that they have been presented by way ofexample only, and not limitation. It will be apparent to persons skilledin the relevant art that various changes in form and detail can be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure shouldnot be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments butshould be defined only in accordance with the following claims and theirequivalents. The foregoing description has been presented for thepurposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the present disclosure to the precise formdisclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light ofthe above teaching. Further, it should be noted that any or all of theaforementioned alternate implementations may be used in any combinationdesired to form additional hybrid implementations of the presentdisclosure. For example, any of the functionality described with respectto a particular device or component may be performed by another deviceor component. Further, while specific device characteristics have beendescribed, embodiments of the disclosure may relate to numerous otherdevice characteristics. Further, although embodiments have beendescribed in language specific to structural features and/ormethodological acts, it is to be understood that the disclosure is notnecessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather,the specific features and acts are disclosed as illustrative forms ofimplementing the embodiments. Conditional language, such as, amongothers, “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,” unless specifically statedotherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, isgenerally intended to convey that certain embodiments could include,while other embodiments may not include, certain features, elements,and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intendedto imply that features, elements, and/or steps are in any way requiredfor one or more embodiments.

That which is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: transporting adelivery robot in an autonomous vehicle, the autonomous vehicleincluding a computer system and a navigation assistance system;disembarking the delivery robot from the autonomous vehicle; generating,by the computer system, for the delivery robot, in cooperation with thenavigation assistance system of the autonomous vehicle, a route map of aterrain between the autonomous vehicle and a package drop-off spot; andtransmitting from the autonomous vehicle to the delivery robot, at leastone of the route map or a set of navigation instructions that are basedon the route map, to assist the delivery robot travel to the packagedrop-off spot.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein disembarking thedelivery robot from the autonomous vehicle comprises disembarking thedelivery robot on to a road or a sidewalk, and wherein the packagedrop-off spot is one of an entryway to a building or a package placementlocation.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the building is one of aresidence or a business facility.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein theroute map includes an identification of one or more obstacles to becircumvented by the delivery robot to reach the package drop-off spot.5. The method of claim 1, wherein the navigation assistance system ofthe autonomous vehicle is configured to generate the route map by usingat least one of a sensor or an imaging device of the navigationassistance system.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the route mapcomprises a digital representation of the terrain, the digitalrepresentation comprising one or more areas to be circumvented by thedelivery robot to reach the package drop-off spot.
 7. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the route map comprises a digital representation of theterrain, the digital representation comprising a path to be traveled bythe delivery robot from a current location of the delivery robot to thepackage drop-off spot.
 8. A method comprising: determining, by anavigation assistance system of an autonomous vehicle, a currentlocation of a delivery robot; generating, by a computer system of theautonomous vehicle, in cooperation with the navigation assistance systemof the autonomous vehicle, a route map of a terrain between the currentlocation of the delivery robot and a package drop-off spot for thedelivery robot; and transmitting from the autonomous vehicle to thedelivery robot, at least one of the route map or a set of navigationinstructions that are based on the route map, to assist the deliveryrobot travel from the current location to the package drop-off spot. 9.The method of claim 8, further comprising: transporting the deliveryrobot in the autonomous vehicle; and disembarking the delivery robotfrom the autonomous vehicle at the current location.
 10. The method ofclaim 8, wherein the computer system of the autonomous vehicle isconfigured to generate the route map by using at least one of a sensoror an imaging device of the navigation assistance system.
 11. The methodof claim 8, wherein the route map comprises a digital representation ofthe terrain, the digital representation comprising one or more areas tobe circumvented by the delivery robot when traveling from the currentlocation to the package drop-off spot.
 12. The method of claim 11,wherein the one or more areas to be circumvented by the delivery robotinclude obstacles.
 13. The method of claim 8, wherein the route map isone of a 2D rendering or a 3D rendering of the terrain between thecurrent location of the delivery robot and the package drop-off spot forthe delivery robot.
 14. A system comprising: a delivery robot; and anautonomous vehicle comprising: a navigation assistance system; and acomputer system comprising: at least one memory that storescomputer-executable instructions; and at least one processor configuredto access the at least one memory and execute the computer-executableinstructions to at least: cooperate with the navigation assistancesystem to generate a route map of a terrain between the autonomousvehicle and a package drop-off spot at a delivery destination; andtransmit to the delivery robot, at least one of the route map or a setof navigation instructions that are based on the route map, to assistthe delivery robot travel to the package drop-off spot.
 15. The systemof claim 14, wherein the autonomous vehicle is configured to transportthe delivery robot to the delivery destination, and wherein the packagedrop-off spot at the delivery destination is one of an entryway to abuilding or a package placement location.
 16. The system of claim 14,wherein the route map comprises a digital representation of the terrain,the digital representation comprising one or more areas to becircumvented by the delivery robot when traveling from a currentlocation of the delivery robot at the delivery destination to thepackage drop-off spot.
 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the one ormore areas to be circumvented by the delivery robot include obstacles.18. The system of claim 14, wherein the route map is one of a 2Drendering or a 3D rendering of the terrain between a current location ofthe delivery robot at the delivery destination and the package drop-offspot.
 19. The system of claim 14, wherein the navigation assistancesystem comprises at least one of a sensor or an imaging device.
 20. Thesystem of claim 19, wherein the sensor is a Light Detection and Ranging(LIDAR) device.